Homeschooling and Learners’ Academic Achievement: Evidence from the United States of America

Abstract

There is solid evidence that homeschooling has made notable gains in absolute numbers and percent of the school-age population in nations as diverse as Australia, Brazil, Canada, England, Japan, Mexico, South Africa, South Korea, Scotland, and Russia. Home education’s rebirth after about a century of quiescence has surprised many educators, sociologists, political scientists, historians, and theologians, and has captured the imagination and engagement of hundreds of thousands of families. One of the most common and widely accepted ways to assess the learning of students and the effectiveness of their educational environments is via academic achievement as measured by standardized tests. Through literature review, through scholarly articles, interviews, and a survey, research reveals that homeschooling will continue to be on the rise. Thus, homeschooled children tend to score higher or similar compared to regular children attending public schools. Children become more responsible for themselves, and have control of their education. Homeschooling is an alternative to education for children who do not adjust well. While homeschooling allows students to focus only on what is important to them, it makes learning more enjoyable, since they are learning at their own pace, and at the same time affects their academic achievement in many ways. There were an estimated 4.5 to 5.0 million homeschool students in grades K-12 in the United States during March of 2021 (roughly 8% to 9% of school-age children). There were about 2.5 million homeschool students in spring 2019 (or 3% to 4% of school-age children). The homeschool population had been growing at an estimated 2% to 8% per annum over the past several years, but it grew drastically from 2019-2020 to 2020-2021. Studies have shed light on the extra sleep needed in teenage years, yet the conventional school system often requires students to stay up late finishing homework and get up early to rush to their morning classes. Homeschool offers some great advantages when it comes to scheduling: less rushing in the morning sets kids up for less stress overall in their day, longer sleep ins are important for mental and physical wellbeing as well as better focus and work ethic throughout the day and homeschooled children can take breaks throughout the day as needed and are less likely to burnout and form negative associations with school and learning. Homeschoolers are becoming sought-after for higher education. Many colleges and universities have begun to modify their admission practices to not only allow for, but to encourage, homeschoolers to apply for admission. 

Keywords: Homeschooling, Learners’, Academic, Achievement, United States of America